How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place,

O LORD

Homecoming Worship

and dedication of

The Prange/Busse Steinway Concert Grand Piano

Chapel of the Christ October 13, 2019 - 9:30 am

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PRE-SERVICE MUSIC Provided by representatives of the Martin Luther College Piano Faculty

in celebration of the piano dedication

All Creatures of Our God and King arr. Ted Cornell Grace Hennig, piano: Grace serves as Coordinator of Piano Instruction as part of her music

professor duties here at MLC. She has previously served as a teacher and church musician in

WELS parishes and schools. She received her degrees from Bethany Lutheran College, Dr. Martin

Luther College, Concordia University-Chicago and University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Suo Gân arr. Thomas Quigley (Traditional Welsh Melody) Grace Hennig, piano, and Alan Uher, violin: Alan Uher is a 1987 graduate of Dr. Martin

Luther College. He has served at St. Martin’s in Watertown SD, Mount Calvary in Waukesha WI,

and in the education department at Martin Luther College since 2018.

Amazing Grace arr. John Purifoy Bethel Boeder, piano, and Leah Wendland, flute: Bethel graduated from Dr. Martin Luther

College in 1990 and received an assignment to be tutor and teach piano at Martin Luther Prep

School. Bethel began teaching as an adjunct piano instructor at MLC in 2007. She greatly enjoys

preparing and motivating her MLC piano students to use their musical abilities in their future

classrooms. Bethel’s daughter, Leah Wendland (’16), playing flute, lives in New Ulm and

currently teaches both flute and voice.

O the Deep, Deep, Love of Jesus by Thomas Williams, arr. Kristen Campbell Judy Martens, piano, and Robert Martens, violin: Judy began teaching piano in high school,

and she continues to share her love for music with the next generations in various ways. She finds

it a joy and privilege to teach piano at MLC, where she has served as an adjunct piano teacher for

12 years. Judy also coordinates praise ensembles at MLC and at St. Paul’s in New Ulm. Judy’s son

Bob Martens is playing the violin today. He’s a 2009 graduate of MLC and works in the Network

Services department on campus.

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As the hymn is introduced, stand and face the cross

at the entrance to the chapel and follow its path to the chancel

where it becomes the focus of Christian worship.

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OPENING HYMN

Congregation and Combined Choirs By Grace I’m Saved Arr. William Braun

INVOCATION

In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

CONFESSION

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

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Let us confess our sins to the Lord.

Holy God, gracious Father, I am sinful by nature and have sinned against you in my thoughts, words, and actions. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved others as I should. I deserve your punishment both now and forever. But Jesus, my Savior, paid for my sins with his innocent suffering and death. Trusting in him, I pray: God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Silence for meditation and reflection.

Our gracious Father in heaven has been merciful to us. He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ and by his authority, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

LORD, HAVE MERCY - Kyrie

In peace let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Almighty God, you gave your one and only Son to be the light of the world. Grant that your people,

illumined by your Word and sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he

may be known, worshiped, and believed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Be seated.

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GLORY BE TO GOD All Glory Be to God on High Arr. John A. Behnke

Congregation, Männerchor, Women’s Choir

Choir: Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest!

Choir: Glory to God! Glory to God! Glory to God in the highest!

DEDICATION OF THE PIANO

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe. You have made the whole earth after your

glory; all your creatures worship you. You have breathed the spirit of mercy into your children, to

hear from them a joyful melody. In the fullness of time, O God, you sent your Son, our Lord Jesus

Christ, who is exalted by poets, musicians, and all your saints. Your Holy Spirit is the breath of our

anthems and praise.

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Be with us now and bless us as we dedicate this piano to your glory and honor. Enrich the lives of

your people who will worship in this place and grant them faith to hear of your gracious purpose

through it. By your Holy Spirit, let this piano enliven the proclamation of your Word and the praise

of your people for the glory of your Name, the building up of your Church, and the good of all your

people; through Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy

Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

Since our gracious God has blessed Martin Luther College with the special gift of a new piano,

it is our duty and delight now to dedicate the Steinway model D, 9-foot concert grand piano, and to

set it apart for the worship and service of God. Therefore, to the glory of God our Father, the

Author of our salvation and the Giver of all blessings and all beauty:

We dedicate this piano.

With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has prepared our salvation with his holy life and innocent

death and who inspires us to offer him our best in music and song:

We dedicate this piano.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, who has brought us to faith and who now guides us in our worship and

in the understanding of his truth:

We dedicate this piano.

(Sing with piano accompaniment)

Hymns of praise now let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!

Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! Praise eternal as his love: Alleluia!

Praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia! Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

Be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and

make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father in everything, in the

name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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ANTHEM Cantate Domino Claudio Monteverdi

Chorale

Cantate Domino canticum novum, Sing to the Lord a new song,

Cantate et benedicite nomini eius, sing and bless his name,

Quia mirabilia fecit. for he has done marvelous deeds.

Cantate et exultate et psallite, Sing and exult and praise,

Psallite in cithara et voce psalmi, in songs with the harp and voice,

Quia mirabilia fecit. for he has done marvelous deeds.

(Psalm 96:1-2; Psalm 98:1, 5-6)

LESSONS

2 Chronicles 5:2-14 - The Ark Brought to the Temple

2 Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the

Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant from Zion, the City of David. 3 And all the

Israelites came together to the king at the time of the festival in the seventh month. 4 When all the elders of

Israel had arrived, the Levites took up the ark, 5 and they brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all

the sacred furnishings in it. The Levitical priests carried them up; 6 and King Solomon and the entire

assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted.

7 The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple,

the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8 The cherubim spread their wings over

the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9 These poles were so long that their ends,

extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy

Place; and they are still there today. 10

There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated

themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12

All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun

and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals,

harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13

The trumpeters and musicians

joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other

instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures

forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with the cloud, 14

and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.

Revelation 7:9-17 - The Great Multitude in White Robes

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation,

tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white

robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10

And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation

belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11

All the angels were standing around the

throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying:

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“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor

and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

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Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14

I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation;

they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15

Therefore, “they are before

the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them

with his presence. 16

‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down

on them,’ nor any scorching heat. 17

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will

lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

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PSALM How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place Johannes Brahms

Psalm 84:1, 2, 4

Combined Choirs with accompanists Craig Hirschmann and Katie Carlovsky

featuring the Reuter Steinway (1911) and the Prange/Busse Steinway (2019)

How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts!

For my soul, it longeth, yea, fainteth for the courts of the Lord;

my soul and body crieth out, yea, for the living God.

How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts!

Blest are they that dwell within thy house; they praise thy name evermore!

How lovely is thy dwelling place.

GOSPEL & SERMON TEXT

Luke 2:41-52 - The Boy Jesus at the Temple

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Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42

When he was twelve years

old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43

After the festival was over, while his parents

were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44

Thinking he

was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and

friends. 45

When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46

After three days they

found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them

questions. 47

Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48

When his

parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

50 But

they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was

obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

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HYMN OF THE DAY Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above Arr. Hal H. Hopson

Congregation and College Choir

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SERMON In Our Father’s House

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

OFFERING from Partita No 4 in D Major, BWV 828 JS Bach Bethel Balge, piano

Dr. Bethel Balge is a graduate of Michigan State University (B.M.), University of

Wisconsin-Madison (M.M.), Musikhochschule Germany (M.M.), and University of Minnesota

(D.M.A.). She has served as adjunct piano faculty at MLC since 1998. She has held a similar

position at Bethany Lutheran College since 2006.

PRAYERS

Almighty and eternal God and Father, by your Holy Spirit you sanctify and keep the holy Christian

Church. Hear our prayer, and by your grace grant us, together with all its members, to serve you in

true faith; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Amen.

Almighty and righteous God, you are the giver of all good things. You bless us with morning light

and evening rest. You shower the land with good weather, you bestow wealth upon the nations,

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you endow our bodies with health and our minds with knowledge. Beyond all these graces, you

have demonstrated your own mercy in your Son Jesus Christ. Open our hearts to offer you fitting

praise and to return our thanks to you; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Amen.

Almighty and most merciful Lord, you do not despise the petitions of the weak, but you look to the

prayers which we offer, even in our distress. Graciously hear us that everything set against us by

both the devil and humanity might be brought to nothing. Help us to follow the counsel of your

mercy, that we might not only offer you our thanks now, but also offer you our praise forever;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Amen.

Lord God, heavenly Father, accept our heartfelt thanks for the gift of your holy gospel. In it, you

have made known to us your fatherly heart. Now, by your great mercy, graciously hold forth the

blessed light of your Word, that by your Holy Spirit you would lead and direct our hearts. Let us

never wander from your Word but, by holding fast to it, attain its eternal blessings: through Jesus

Christ, your Son, our Lord.

Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.

Amen.

ANTHEM Luther’s Morning Prayer Carl Schalk

Combined Choirs

I thank you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

You kept me safely through the night, and brought me to the morning light.

Be with me through this day, I pray, and keep me safe from Satan’s sway

that all I think or do or say please only you, my Strength and Stay.

Into your hands I now commend my body and soul until life’s end.

Your angel keep me safe from harm until I rest in Jesus’ arm. Amen.

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PRAYER

God of majesty, whom saints and angels delight to worship in heaven, deliver all who come into

your presence from cold hearts and wandering thoughts, that with steady minds and eager zeal

they may worship you in spirit and in truth. Be with your servants who make art and music for

those who worship here that there may be in this place a glimpse of your beauty. Bring us all, we

pray, to the fulfillment of the hope of perfection, which will be ours as we stand before your

unveiled glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy

Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

BLESSING

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace.

Amen.

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CLOSING HYMN Festival Nunc Dimittis Arr. Kenneth T. Kosche

Congregation and Combined Choirs

The congregation sings the hymn stanza “Lord, let at last thine angels come” in phrases,

alternated with the choirs singing phrases of the Nunc dimittis.

(See next pages for the closing hymn.)

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POSTLUDE By Faith Arr. Lloyd Larson

Hosanna Ringers

Jacob Melso, piano

Katie Carlovsky, organ

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Worship Leaders

Presiding Minister Prof. John C. Boeder (’86)

Campus Pastor, Martin Luther College

Preacher Prof. Nick Schmoller (’06)

Professor of Theology, Martin Luther College

Organist Katie Carlovsky (’02)

Adjunct Organ Instructor, Martin Luther College

College Choir and Männerchor Adrian Smith (’03)

Professor of Music, Martin Luther College

Hosanna Ringers Craig Hirschmann (’84)

Professor of Music, Martin Luther College

Chorale and Women’s Choir Jonathan Laabs (’08)

Professor of Music, Martin Luther College

Student Instrumentalists Trumpet – Josiah Winkel, Josiah Loersch, Matthew Scharp, Alicia Mengel

Trombone – Leah Kuchenbecker, Joseph Wessel, Karissa Nolte

Percussion - Jordan Massiah, Jacob Schwark, Philip Snyder

Organ – Lydia Wilde

Student Lectors Clayton Fury

Nate Holz

Jacob Schmidt

Student Cross and Candle Bearers Duane Backhaus

Jonah Schlomer

Isaiah Duff

About the Steinway Concert Grand:

In January of 2019, a significant donation was given to MLC for the purchase of a concert (9-foot) grand piano for the

Chapel of the Christ. The donation was given anonymously in honor of two called workers, Mary Prange and Marvin

Busse. In February of 2019, at the invitation of the Steinway representatives at Schmitt Music Company in Brooklyn

Center MN, a selection committee from MLC traveled to New York City to tour the Steinway factory and choose the

piano. As Fritz Reuter himself turned to the quality of Steinway back in 1911 when “The College” was in need of a

piano, we are also blessed to have such a beautiful, high-quality new instrument in the chapel today. Both pianos will

receive regular use for worship and concerts in the chapel.